Afternoon tea served with aplomb at Ritz-Carlton's Cafe 103

Hong Kong has no shortage of places to have afternoon tea. The city's passion for the meal that is served on a tiered stand may even exceed that of the British who invented it.

One of the most sought-after spots for tea might be Cafe 103 at The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, with its postcard-worthy views. From its inception, the cafe has offered a "chocolate afternoon tea", and in recent years it has increased collaborations with food brands, such as chocolatiers Jean-Paul Hévin and Amedei, and French patissier Pierre Hermé.

Peter Find, executive chef at the hotel, says they seek out collaborators who share their dedication to quality. He says the special edition tea sets are offered so that "new or unique products can be highlighted, in order to offer our guests an exclusive experience". Their approach seems warranted, as these promotions attract bookings almost as soon as they are announced.

This month Cafe 103 is partnering with Pierre Hermé Paris with a menu themed around the patisserie's "Satine" flavour combination of passion fruit, orange and cream cheese.

Each partnership sees Find working with the brand's chefs. For the Satine afternoon tea: "Pierre Hermé Paris' pastry chef provided the basic recipes and worked with our pastry team to fine-tune them to suit the Hong Kong weather and taste preferences," says Find.

Seasonality has as much to do with each tea promotion as the brand, though. Find says, "We tend to use warm flavours such as chestnuts and spices in autumn and winter while citrus fruits are widely used in summer".